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********************************* * A BATCH VIEW * * * * Batch File Pop Up Menus * * Batch File Pop Up Messages * * Multiple Screen Clearing * * * * Ver 1.0 5/30/1993 * * * * Copyright 1993 * * by Robin R. Latham * ********************************* FOR IBM or COMPATIBLE PC's, USING DOS 2.0 or HIGHER GRAPHICS: 80 Column Color, or Monochrome Text Mode Support Required. Robin R. Latham P.O BOX 16152 Fort Worth, TX. 76162 PHONE SUPPORT: (817)-263-4056 Compuserve Email ID # 72614,602 >>> TABLE OF CONTENTS <<< PAGE INSTALLATION................................ 1 PACKING LIST................................ 1 INTRODUCTION................................ 2 ABATMENU.................................... 3 ABATMENU OPTIONS............................ 4 AMSG......................................... 5 AMSG OPTIONS................................. 6 TEXT FILES.................................. 7 COLOR ATTRIBUTES............................ 8 ACLS........................................ 9 BATCH FILES................................. 10 TECHNICAL................................... 11 DISCLAIMER.................................. 12 REGISTRATION................................ 13, 14 - INSTALLATION - PAGE 1 You can use AINSTALL.BAT to copy all the files from the distribution disk. Ainstall.bat is menu driven and will copy files to disk drives A, B, C, or D. You have the option to copy the files to a ROOT directory or a directory named ABATVIEW. Installing the files in a sub-directory will prevent any overwrites to existing files with the same name. There are two utility batch files named AVIEWDOC.BAT and APRNTDOC.BAT that will provide immediate viewing or printing of the associated documentation. * Quick Start * You can start learning how to use all the programs in the utility set by running the ALEARNME.BAT tutorial program. - PACKING LIST - Please make a quick check to see if you recieved all of the following files. Some of the supporting programs require other files in order to function properly. If you have purchased an incomplete or malfunctioning copy of this software from a distributor and cannot resolve the problem locally, please call or write me with the distributors name and address and I will send you a free replacement disk. * PROGRAMS * ABATMENU.EXE - Generates pop up menus. AMSG.EXE - Generates pop up messages. ACLS.EXE - Selectable Clearing of the video screen. APAGE.EXE - Displays small ascii text files. * BATCH FILES * AINSTALL.BAT - Installation batch file. AVIEWDOC.BAT - Provides documentation viewing. APRNTDOC.BAT - Provides documentation printing. ALEARNME.BAT - Utility set tutorial. AEXMPLES.BAT - Example menus and messages. ATXTFILE.BAT - How to use ascii text files with Abatmenu and Amsg. * DOCUMENTS * ABATVIEW.DOC - A Batch View software manual. ASCIICDS.DOC - Table of Ascii codes. ASITELIC.DOC - Example site license. AREGISTR.FRM - A Batch View Registration form. VENDOR.DOC - for Shareware Distributors. * SUPPORT FILES * ABATVIEW.ZIP - An archive file INSTL.TXT - Message text for the Installation batch file. INTRODUCTION PAGE 2 A BATCH VIEW is a small utility set, primarily focused on providing control of the video screen from within a batch file. It provides an alternative to the traditional reliance on the DOS echo command, and ansi.sys driver to create color menus and user prompts. You may use custom menus, message prompts, and text screen colors from within your batch files to provide a tailored appearance for your applications. THE UTILITY PROGRAMS ABATMENU.EXE - Creates custom pop up menus for batch files, allowing complete configuration of the video screen. Menus are automatically centered on the display screen, and have 3-D shadowing. Passes the errorlevel code of the menu item selected back to the calling program or batch file. AMSG.EXE - Creates custom pop up messages or prompts for batch files, and provides the same degree of video control as abatmenu. ACLS.EXE - Provides a variety of interesting ways to clear text from the video screen, and the ability to change or set the default background and text color. Typing the name of any of these programs at the DOS command line, will bring up a quick help screen. All the programs use option switches to control output. Options are entered on the command line after the program name, with multiple program options separated by spaces. Program options are described in this manual and on the quick help screens. Each program requires a unique sequence of options in order to function properly, and are therefore documented separately within this manual. The programs that generate pop up windows do however, share many common option sequences, so learning how to use one of the programs substantialy decreases the time to learn the others. The clear screen utility program ACLS is the simplest to use, requiring only one option switch to function. ACLS uses a DOS type switch to tell it how to clear the screen, and may be easily learned by viewing its help screen. It should be noted that the use of the clear screen utility ACLS is completely arbitrary since ABATMENU and AMSG automatically clear the video screen before and after execution. ACLS is provided for entertainment and aesthetic value, providing visual interest and variety to your batch files. A program called APAGE.EXE has been included on the distribution disk to allow you to quickly view the documentation. The AVIEWDOC batch file calls APAGE.EXE for that purpose. APAGE.EXE is not intended to be a part of the utility set, and is therefore not documented. You may however, freely use APAGE.EXE if you desire, or have a need for it. It displays a help screen describing its use in similiar fashion to the utility programs. I wrote APAGE.EXE to view the documentation of this utility set, so it has limited capabilities as a general program. APAGE displays Ascii text files ONLY, and cannot handle files much bigger than 32K. ABATMENU PAGE 3 ABATMENU generates pop up menus for batch files. The program may be controlled from any calling batch file, such as the AUTOEXEC.BAT to allow menu selectable boot configurations, for TSR's, DOS Environment variables, prompt selection, time and date entry, selectable program execution, or anything else a batch file can handle. If you're not familiar with DOS batch files, reference your DOS manual, or read the batch file section of this document for a brief explanation. Abatmenu allows a full range of selectable options to determine the menu colors, title, selections, hi-light bar, and background texturing, when generating your own batch file menus. Options may be passed directly to abatmenu on the DOS command line, or stored in an ASCII text file. If you wish to learn by doing, or are becoming impatient at this point, a tutorial program called ALEARNME.BAT has been provided along with several other batch file examples for demonstration and learning purposes. Alternately, simply typing "abatmenu" at the DOS prompt provides a brief on screen explanation of program operation. You may want to experiment with a variety of menu configurations to find the ones that are the most appealing to your personal taste. Running abatmenu from the DOS command line will allow you to view the results of your selected options before you include them in your batch files. Hi-lighting menu selections is performed by using the keyboard arrow keys. Selecting a menu item consists of hi-lighting that item, and pressing the enter or return key. Abatmenu returns an ERRORLEVEL code to the calling batch file corresponding to the item selected. The errorlevel is then processed by the batch file to perform the desired function. Abatmenu returns a ZERO (0) if the ESCAPE key is pressed to allow exit without action, or any other desired procedure specified in the calling batch file. ABATMENU OPTIONS PAGE 4 Abatmenu program options are entered using standard DOS command line parameter passing. For example, if you wanted to display a directory listing of files on your disk using a wide format, you would enter the DOS command "dir /w" at the prompt. The "/w" is a parameter that tells the DIR program how to display the listing. Command line parameters are entered after the program name and separated by a space. Enclosing a parameter with quotation marks allows it to be passed as a single option, regardless of the spaces between characters. This is useful if you wish to have multiple word titles or selections for your menu. Batch file program calls can be accomplished in exactly the same manner, with the exception that the program name and desired options would be typed on one line of the batch file. Typing.... ABATMENU 176 "Boot Menu" Selection1 Selection2 Exit at the command line will generate a monochrome pop up menu with the title "Boot Menu", three menu selections, and the first selection hi-lighted. The number 176 is an ASCII code that will fill the background screen with texture. You may enter any printable Ascii code for a variety of texturing, or wallpaper menu backdrops. Included is a separate file called ASCIICDS.DOC which contains a listing of Ascii codes for you to reference and experiment with. Several ascii codes control printer operation, so printing the file will generate undesirable results and is not recommended. You may however view this file on your monitor using the AVIEWDOC.BAT file. To produce a color menu, you will need to provide abatmenu with four color attributes. Entering a + (plus sign) immediately in front of the attributes designates a color menu. Color value codes are listed on page 8, with examples of how to construct attributes. Typing.... ABATMENU +31 0 116 115 176 "Boot Menu" Selection1 Selection2 Exit at the command line produces a blue menu bordered with white, black selection text, a white hi-light bar with red text, and a white screen filled with cyan texturing. ABATMENU PROGRAM OPTION LISTING * For Monochrome Displays ( The Default ) ABATMENU Screen-Ascii Title Selections.......... * For Color Displays ABATMENU +Window Menutxt Bar Screen Scrn-Ascii Title Selections... A + (plus sign) requests generation of a color menu. WINDOW = Color attribute of menu. MENUTXT = Color of selection text. BAR = Color attribute of hi-light. SCREEN = Color attribute for screen. SCRN-ASCII = Ascii code for background screen texturing or wallpaper. TITLE = menu title. SELECTIONS = menu selections. AMSG PAGE 5 Amsg allows you to create custom user prompts, and contains several command line switches that provide program generated system information such as the time and date, DOS version and environment variable settings, available disk drives and current working directory. You may also display user query prompts that only accept (y/n) key responses, and return a designating errorlevel code. Amsg operates in a similar fashion to abatmenu, allowing you to determine the color and background texturing of your display prompt. Amsg frames your message in a bordered pop up window, and waits for a keypress before clearing the video screen and exiting. You may also use text files to store multiple program options and message text. Message text is automatically centered within the display window, and a "Press Any Key to Continue" prompt is added to instruct users. All option displays are separated from your message by blank lines within the window. You may use ONLY ONE display option at a time when generating a window, but you may include up to 20 lines of message text. Again, message text is centered in the window by the program, and an appropriate user prompt is added to your message. If the program cannot produce a window that fits on the video screen it will generate an error message. Binary prompts may be produced by using the /ask option. This option adds a "(y/n)" prompt to the bottom of your message window, turning your text into a simple question. Program exit may only be accomplished by pressing the 'y' or 'n' keys in either upper or lower case. Amsg returns a 1 for yes, and a 0 for no. The resulting errorlevel code can then be interpreted by the calling batch file. If the /ask switch is not used Amsg always returns a 0. It's a good idea to experiment with various program options on the command line before including them in your batch files. In this way you can determine the most aesthetically pleasing color combinations with minimal modification. This is especially true for long or complex batch files. AMSG OPTIONS PAGE 6 Amsg will produce color or monochrome message windows. Program options are passed in a format similar to Abatmenu. If this is unclear, please read the abatmenu option section or run the tutorial batch files. Program options and examples are as follows..... AMSG PROGRAM OPTION LISTING * For Monochrome Displays ( The Default ) AMSG Screen-Ascii [Switch] Message.......... * For Color Displays AMSG +Window Wndtxt Screen Scrn-Ascii [Switch] Message... A + (plus sign) requests generation of a color screen. WINDOW = Color attribute of window. WNDTXT = Color of message text. SCREEN = Color attribute for screen. SCRN-ASCII = Ascii code for background screen texturing or wallpaper. [SWITCH] = One of Four optional information display switches. MESSAGE = Your prompt or message text. * SWITCHES * /td - Displays the time and date settings of your computer. /dsk - Displays letters of logical disk drives and the current working directory. /env - Displays system environmental variables and current DOS Version. /ask - Displays your message as a question and only accepts (y/n) responses. Typing AMSG alone on the command line will display a brief description of its use, similar to the listing above. An on screen listing of color attributes may be seen by entering AMSG /c or AMSG color. Color attribute use and construction is also documented on page 8. The use of text files is covered on page 7 of the manual. Switches are optional, and the inclusion of a switch with your message text combines all the information into the display window. Only one switch may be used for each message window. TEXT FILES PAGE 7 Abatmenu and Amsg allow you to store program options in straight Ascii text files. You can produce Ascii text files with many popular word processors that have file export functions. Check your documentation to see if your word processor has this capability. Most versions of DOS come with Ascii text file processing programs. Starting with DOS 5.0 a program called Edit was provided for this purpose. Earlier versions of DOS come with a program called Edlin that provides crude, but effective text file generation. To use a text file containing your program options, you will need to create the file and then pass the complete name of your file to abatmenu or amsg on the command line. Abatmenu and Amsg take text file arguments the same way, and options for both may be stored in the same file by using labels. Typing.... ABATMENU Myfile.txt tells abatmenu to search for a file called Myfile.txt in the current directory to obtain its command line options. Abatmenu is not case sensitive about the file name, but it does need the complete file name including the extension. To create a text file that abatmenu can use you need to enter each command line option on a separate line of the file, and in the correct order. Abatmenu uses the ascii code that signals a new line to separate the options. New line codes and carriage returns are automatically generated by your word processor when you press the Enter or Return key. Myfile.txt would be formatted as follows.... 176 Boot Menu Selection1 Selection2 Exit You can store multiple option sets in a text file by using labels. A label in a text file consists of any alphanumeric word, phrase, or set of characters you wish to use, as long as it is immediately preceded by the @ character, and placed on a separate line of the text file. The @ character is created by pressing the <shift> + 2 keys simultaneously. Labels are used to mark the set of options you wish the program to use. You mark an option set by placing the label on the line preceding it. You need not worry about marking the end of the set, since the next label or end of the file performs that function. To use the label, you must type the label name after the file name that contains it, and enclose both in quotation marks. Typing..... ABATMENU "Myfile.txt @Mylabel" calls the option set marked @Mylabel. 7 | 9 | 176 | Boot Menu | Selection1 | Selection2 | Exit | @Mylabel --------------------- | 10 | 20 | 176 | Mylabel Boot Menu | Selection1 | Selection2 | Exit ------------------------- | COLOR ATTRIBUTES PAGE 8 The color combinations are made by adding the decimal values of the foreground and background colors. For instance to get a Cyan background and a white foreground you would add 48 + 15 = 63. To get a White hi-lite bar with Red Text you would add 112 + 4 = 116. You do not need to specify background colors for window text, the program automatically uses the background color selected for the window. Color Attributes **************** Foreground Colors: Black 0 Gray 8 Blue 1 Light Blue 9 Green 2 Light Green 10 Cyan 3 Light Cyan 11 Red 4 Light Red 12 Magenta 5 Light Magenta 13 Brown 6 Yellow 14 Light Gray 7 White 15 Background Colors: Examples: Black 0 Blue Background and Yellow Foreground Blue 16 Green 32 16 + 14 = 30 Cyan 48 Red 64 Green Background and White Foreground Magenta 80 Brown 96 32 + 15 = 47 White 112 ACLS PAGE 9 Acls is a video screen clearing utility that that may be used to add a dimension of visual entertainment to your batch files, or as an enhancement to your computer operating system. Acls is functionally similar to the DOS CLS command, but provides an alternate set of differing methods to clear the video display. Because of this you must remember to include an option that specifies the desired method when using Acls, or you will be presented with a help screen. The use of Acls is not required when generating menus and message windows, it was simply added to the utility set to provide uniqueness and variety to your batch files. As stated above, you may view a descriptive list of program options by typing ACLS alone on the command line. You may also use Acls to set the default screen colors of your video display. These will remain active until another program resets them or you call Acls again with a different option. Typing ACLS /c or ACLS color displays an on screen listing of usable color attributes. You enter the background and foreground screen colors desired as program options. The following list describes the ACLS option switches. Most of the effects generated by these switches are hard to describe with words, so if the descriptions are hard to visualize, please try experimenting with them. ACLS PROGRAM OPTIONS /hz - moves every other line of text off the screen in the opposite direction in a horizontal fashion. /vt - moves every other column of text off the screen in the opposite direction in a vertical fashion. /wl - wipes screen clear from the left. /wr - wipes screen clear from the right. /in - text disappears by being scrolled into the middle of the screen. /out - text disappears by being scrolled towards bottom and top of screen. /beep - supplies a conventional screen clear and beeps the speaker. /cls - a conventional screen clear in graphics or text modes. /c foreground background - clears the screen and changes the screen color to the background and foreground attributes that you specify. BATCH FILES PAGE 10 DOS provides batch files so that you can store the commands to perform specific tasks in a file, rather than repeatedly entering them on the command line. A DOS batch file name must have a .BAT extension, and be different from any of DOS's internal command names. A Batch file must be an Ascii text file, with each batch file command placed on a separate line. To run a batch file, simply type its name at the DOS prompt, and press the enter key. Batch files allow you to perform simple computer programming using DOS commands. If you know how to use DOS, you already have most of the knowledge required to write effective batch files. To set up batch files for ABATMENU, you will need to understand the basic concepts of labels, and errorlevel code testing. ABATMENU returns an errorlevel code to the calling batch file. Pressing the ESC key while ABATMENU is running will return a ZERO. Selecting item one at the top of the menu and pressing the ENTER key returns a ONE, the next item a TWO, and so on. Batch files allow you to set up labels corresponding to the returned errorlevel code, in order to perform the tasks you select from the menu. DOS provides 0 - 255 ERRORLEVEL codes. You must check for these in descending order since DOS tests for errorlevels using a greater than or equal to comparison. ******** EXAMPLE ******** REM menubat.bat * name of batch file * TOP: * a batch file label * ABATMENU 6 31 +16 7 116 117 15 "* MENU *" item1 item2 item3 IF ERRORLEVEL 3 GOTO THREE (item3 label) IF ERRORLEVEL 2 GOTO TWO (item2 label) IF ERRORLEVEL 1 GOTO ONE (item1 label) IF ERRORLEVEL 0 GOTO END (ESC label) GOTO TOP * Reruns ABATMENU * ONE: * item1 label * LH FASTOPEN C: * loads fastopen for the C drive into high memory * LH DOSKEY * loads doskey (A TSR) into high memory * GOTO END * Exit batch file * TWO: * item2 label * DATE * input date for system * TIME * input time for system * PAUSE * pause until user presses a key * ACLS /hz * Call Clear Screen utility program * GOTO TOP THREE: * item3 label * CD WP51 * change directories * WP * run wordperfect 5.1 * END: * end of batch file or ESCAPE label * TECHNICAL PAGE 11 ABATMENU Maximum Selection Size - 30 characters each. Maximum Number of Selections - 22 per Menu. This fills the entire screen. Maximum Number of Text File Labels - Unlimited if you can remember them, and spare the disk space. AMSG Maximum Character Length of one line of message text - 70 characters. Maximum Number of Text Lines for message window - 20 lines. Maximum Number of Text File Labels - Unlimited if you can remember them, and spare the disk space. ACLS Some clear screen functions may take place too rapidly to see on very fast PC's. I had to compromise considering the broad range of technology available. NOTES Text Modes - Abatmenu and Amsg use text modes 3 or 7 to generate menus and message prompts. Full Graphic Support is not Required. Most PC's provide 80 column text mode operation. Abatmenu and Amsg test for color text mode 3 first, then mode 7. If mode 3 or 7 are not set, either will attempt to reset the graphics adapter. In ALL cases the ORIGINAL GRAPHICS MODE will be restored after program execution. DOS limits the number of characters you can enter on the command line. If you are encountering truncated menus or other problems, you should try using text files to store your option sets. You may use the same text file to store program options for Abatmenu and Amsg, as long as you can keep up with the labels for each program. Both programs read text files and labels in exactly the same manner, but each expects a slightly different number and format of program options. Be Careful! Misuse will certainly not harm equipment, but may produce garbled screens. DISCLAIMER PAGE 12 Because of the various hardware and software environments into which these programs may be put, no warranty of fitness for a particular purpose is offered. WARRANTY DISCLAIMER: THIS SOFTWARE, MANUAL, AND SUPPORTING FILE ARE SOLD "AS IS" AND WITHOUT WARRANTIES. ROBIN R. LATHAM DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES RELATED TO THIS SOFTWARE, WHETHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND ALL SUCH WARRANTIES ARE EXPRESSLY AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMED. NEITHER ROBIN R. LATHAM, NOR ANYONE ELSE WHO HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THE CREATION, PRODUCTION, OR DELIVERY OF THIS SOFTWARE SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE SUCH SOFTWARE EVEN IF ROBIN R. LATHAM HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES OR CLAIMS. IN NO EVENT SHALL ROBIN R. LATHAM'S LIABILITY FOR ANY DAMAGES EVER EXCEED THE PRICE PAID FOR THE LICENSE TO USE THE SOFTWARE, REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF THE CLAIM. THE PERSON USING THE SOFTWARE BEARS ALL RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE. Some states do not allow the exclusion of the limit of liability for inconsequential or incidental damages, so the above limitation may not apply to you. This agreement shall be governed by the laws of the Sate of Texas and shall inure to the benefit of Robin R. Latham, and any successors, administrators, heirs, and assigns. Any action or proceeding brought by either party against the other arising out of or related to this agreement shall be brought only in a STATE or FEDERAL COURT of competent jurisdiction located in Tarrant County, Texas. The parties hereby consent to in personam jurisdiction of said courts. REGISTRATION PAGE 13 TERMS OF USE: Upon registration, this software and the disks on which it is contained is licensed to you, for your own use. This is copyrighted software. You are not obtaining title to this software or any copyrights. You may not sublicense, rent, lease, modify, translate, convert to another programming language, decompile, or disassemble the software for any purpose. You may make as many copies of this software as you need for back-up purposes, or SHAREWARE distribution. You may use this software on more than one computer, provided there is no chance it will be used simultaneously on more than one computer. If you need to use the software on more than one computer simultaneously, please contact me for information about site licenses. Use of any utility program contained within this set on a network requires a site license. SHAREWARE DISTRIBUTION: Permission is hereby granted for clubs, disk vendors, user groups, or individuals to distribute A BATCH VIEW on a SHAREWARE basis, providing that the entire A BATCH VIEW package with accompanying documentation files is included in the distribution, and a relevant statement is made concerning the required registration of shareware beyond the price of the distribution disk. If you like, or find these programs useful, please feel free to distribute copies to friends and acquaintances, or upload a copy to your favorite bulletin boards. Please make sure that you include all the files that come with the A Batch View Utility Set in any copies that you distribute. Your support of the shareware concept, products, and distribution process is greatly appreciated. A compressed version of this utility set may be downloaded from the compuserve IBMSYS Forum, Library 6 under the file name BATVIEW.ZIP. You will need a copy of PKUNZIP version 2.0 to decompress the file. A shareware copy of PKUNZIP is located in the same library under the name PK204G.EXE. I can also be reached by compuserve Email with ID # 72614,602. YOU MAY REGISTER THIS PROGRAM THROUGH THE COMPUSERVE SHAREWARE DATABASE. THE FILE DESCRIPTION IS UNDER THE NAME BATCH VIEW. PLEASE CALL IF YOU HAVE ANY TROUBLE FINDING THE UTILITY SET. ******************************************************************* * REGISTRATION FORM * * A BATCH VIEW UTILITY SET Ver 1.0 * * Copyright 1993 by Robin R. Latham All Rights Reserved. * ******************************************************************* Name: ____________________________________________ Address: ____________________________________________ City, State: ____________________________________________ Zip Code: ____________________________________________ Where did you obtain this copy of A BATCH VIEW ? ___________________________ Any Comments or Suggestions for future program upgrades ? __________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ Ideas for New Shareware Programs you would like to use ? ___________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ The cost to register one copy of A BATCH VIEW is $15.00. Registration entitles you to an abundance of good Karma, a clear conscience, and continued legal use of all the A BATCH VIEW utility programs. In addition to the above, I provide written notification of any future program upgrades or versions (IF desired), and phone or mail support. Site licenses and custom application versions are also available, write or call for information concerning your requirements. Please make checks or money orders payable to Robin R. Latham, and send to the address listed at the bottom of the page. Thanks for supporting Shareware products ! I wish to be informed of future program upgrades ___________ Registration: ($15) _____ Registration + disk: ($20) _____ Disk Size: 5.25 _____ 3.5 ______ Additional disks: ______ x $5.00 = ___________ Texas Residents Please Add 7.5% Sales Tax: _________________ Total Enclosed: _______________ Please send to: Robin R. Latham P.O. Box 16152 Fort Worth, TX. 76162 Phone Support: (817) 263 - 4056